A to Z Challenge and Photo-Finish Friday: J is for Jalopy

What kind of vehicle does the mom of a barely scraping by family drive?

Jalopy

A Jalopy, of course.  In fact, her name is Jalopy.

She's an old Saturn Relay minivan.  She had to have a new engine a couple of months ago, and she still needs more work.  Sometimes she shifts very abruptly.  One of her back seats hasn't been able to be unfolded for a couple of years, so she can no longer hold more than 5, instead of her previous 7.

There are dents from parking lots on both sides, the glove box door fell off, and because she is not really worth a whole lot, we never lock the doors unless we have something inside her we don't want taken.

She's a work horse, shared by me and #2 Son, and Little Girl is learning to drive in her.  If you look at the picture, you might be able to see that one tail light is taped back together with clear tape, and the side of the bumper looks loose.  It is loose, it's held on by duct tape, which can fix anything except a broken heart.


Part of me really enjoys Jalopy, even if the remotes quit working and she's not worth much.  She gets the job done, so she's worth a whole lot to me.

Photo-Finish Friday is the brainchild of Leah at The Goat's Lunch Pail.


Today is

Barbershop Quartet Day -- founding day of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America

Buchenwald Liberation Day -- at 3:15pm local time, by the Third Army

Dogwood Festival -- Atlanta, GA, US (fine art, and beautiful trees; through Sunday)

Education and Sharing Day -- in honor of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994).

Eight Track Tape Day -- do you remember those; someone who fondly does has a day to honor them

Fast and Prayer Day -- Liberia

Festival of Unmediated Play -- just go out there and have fun, like kids do

Global Youth Service Day -- annual campaign to mobilize children and youth to make a difference (through Sunday)

Holiday in Dixie -- Shreveport and Bossier City, Louisiana, US (ten days celebrating the Louisiana Purchase and what it meant to the US; at least, that's the formal excuse for a really fun party!)

International "Louie Louie" Day -- a song that caused such a stir it deserves a day; on the birth anniversary of its composer, Richard Berry

Juan Santamaria Day -- Costa Rica (commemoration of the hero of the Battle of Rivas)

Liberation Day -- Uganda (fall of Idi Amin)

Main Street BBQ & Bluesfest -- Washington, MO, US (professional BBQ competition, plus music and fun; through tomorrow)

Mennonite Relief Sale -- Hutchinson, Kansas, US (Mennonite, Bretheren in Christ, and Amish congregations from all across the area auction quilts, grandfather clocks, furniture, tools and crafts to raise money for hunger relief worldwide, through tomorrow)

M&M Crisis in Space Day -- on this day in 1996, American astronaut Shannon Lucid reported from Space Station Mir that she was out of M&Ms; it was the only thing she regularly requested for resupply in her 188 days there!

National Cheese Fondue Day

National Pet Day -- US (it's about the love)

National Teach Children to Save Day -- sponsored by the American Banking Association

Ozark UFO Conference -- Eureka Springs, Arkansas, US (experts -?- from around the world meet to exchange the latest info on UFOs; through Sunday)

Pet Day USA -- Adopt! Don't Shop!

St. Antipas' Day (spiritual student of St. John, mentioned in the Book of the Revelation of St. John)

St. Stanislaus' Day (Patron of soldiers in battle; Cracow, Poland; Plock, Poland; Poland, where he is celebrated on May 8)

Tsechu Festival -- Paro, Bhutan (religious celebration in honor of Padmasambhava, with colorfully dressed monks performing masked rituals; through the 15th)

World Parkinson's Disease Day


Anniversary Today:

Spelman College is founded, 1881


Birthdays Today:

Joss Stone, 1987
Tricia Helfer, 1974
Vincent Gallo, 1961
Bill Irwin, 1950
Ellen Goodman, 1948
Meshach Taylor, 1947
Peter Riegert, 1947
Louise Lasser, 1939
Richard Berry, 1935
Tony Brown, 1933
Joel Grey, 1932
Ethel Kennedy, 1928
Oleg Cassini, 1913
Jane Matilda Bolin, 1908
Dalia "Dale" Messick, 1906
Percy Julian, 1899
Lizzie “Lillie” Bliss, 1864
Charles Evans Hughes, 1862


Debuting/Premiering Today:

"On Your Toes"(Musical), 1936
"Matthäus-Passion/St. Matthew's Passion"(Bach BWV 244), 1727


Today in History:

William III and Mary II are crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain, 1689
The last execution for witchcraft in Germany takes place, 1775
President Abraham Lincoln makes his last public speech, urging a spirit of concilliation during reconstruction, 1865
The Shogunate is abolished in Japan, 1868
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is organized, 1876
Ellis Island is designated as an immigration station, 1890
Spain cedes Puerto Rico to the United States in the treaty ending the Spanish American War, 1899
The US Navy aquires its first submarine, designed by John P. Holland, 1900
Albert Einstein announces his Special Theory of Relativity, 1905
The International Labour Organization is founded, 1919
The Stone of Scone, the stone upon which Scottish monarchs were traditionally crowned, is found in Arbroath Abbey where Scottish nationalist students had taken it from Westminster Abbey, 1951
Britain agrees to Singaporean self-rule, 1957
Apollo 13 is launched, 1970
The Apple I is created, 1976
Ugandan dictator Idi Amin is deposed, 1979
The London Agreement is secretly signed between Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and King Hussein of Jordan, 1987
Australia beats American Samoa in a 31-0 win, the biggest ever in an international match of football, 2001
The French ban of Islamic women's face coverings goes into effect, 2011